Obesity is defined as an “Excessive fat accumulation in the body to the extent that health and well being are adversely affected”.

People are considered obese when their body mass index (BMI) exceeds 27.5 kg/m2.

As per BMI index it is a stage prior to morbid obesity.

Overweight, obesity and morbid obesity are the fifth leading health risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.

In addition, according to WHO, 44% of the diabetics, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer are attributable to overweight and obesity.

Excessive fat - Obesity

Exercise and diet alone often fails to effectively treat people with extreme and excessive obesity. Bariatric surgery is an operation that is performed in order to help such individuals lose weight. Evidence suggests that bariatric surgery may lower death rates for patients with severe obesity, especially when coupled with healthy eating and lifestyle changes after surgery.

Types of Obesity Surgery

There are several types of restrictive, malabsorptive and combined procedures that can lead to sustained weight loss. Each one has its own benefits and risks. The top three procedures are:

Gastric Banding

A band is placed around the upper part of stomach to create a small pouch to hold food. The band limits the amount of food that the person eats by giving a feeling of fullness after eating small portions of food.

Gastric Bypass

It is a procedure which is both restrictive and malabsorptive. In this procedure a small pouch is created by using specially designed staplers.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

This is a restrictive procedure in which the stomach is stapled in such a way so as to create a long narrow sleeve.